At the beginning of the summer, we wrote about a visit to Belogorye and the state of the monument to the victims of the Holocaust, where about five thousand Jews died (jump to article). It would seem that the irreparable situation with this object of memory and culture was unexpectedly resolved for the better with the help of caring people. A benefactor from another country, whose relatives remained forever near Belogirya, donated funds for the improvement of the territory. The employees of the local utility company took up the work and did everything conscientiously. Therefore, the last visit to the memorial of the Director of the Khmelnytskyi Charitable Foundation "Hesed Besht" Igor Ratushny, who personally decided to look at the changes and talk to the contractor, left a pleasant impression.
The improvement was noticeable immediately when the car left the asphalt surface and onto the dirt road leading deep into the forest. The holes and potholes that used to collect rainwater have disappeared. There are thickets on both sides of the road, but they no longer block the roadway. The memorial area is now simply unrecognizable. The weeds and bushes have been mowed, allowing us to see the boundaries of the burial site itself and two mounds at the sites of mass graves. About fifty dead trees have been cut down (living trees were not touched), which no longer pose a threat of falling or spoiling the appearance of the memorial. All the curbs have been whitewashed, and the paths have been sprinkled with sawdust. There is also a good two meters of cleared territory between the fence and the forest, which allows us to clearly assess the damage caused by time and those looking for easy money to the fence: in some places several sections of the metal fence are missing at once.
The smaller granite monuments were not destroyed before the reconstruction. But the central stele underwent not cosmetic, but real repairs. However, according to the representative of the municipal contractor who arrived here, some problems could not be solved. This is due to the design of the stele: built of brick, it sagged to the right side and it is impossible to level it. The workers considered the option of using special equipment, but the brick could simply move apart from such intervention. Therefore, the stele was brought into proper shape, the cracks were covered with mortar and fixed, the base and the iron plate with the inscription were painted. The man also told about some details of the cleaning process. For example, residents of the surrounding villages, who use this road to travel between settlements, stopped and thanked the workers both for the improved road and for the good deed they were doing.
During the conversation, further improvements that could be made to the site were also outlined: replacing the fence, for example. If funds are available, this will definitely be done. And to maintain the memorial in proper condition, a few "subbotniks" per year are quite enough, which in theory is not at all difficult.
Leaving this place, which until recently resembled an exclusion zone, I felt something good in my heart – yes, the unhealed wound of loss brings pain, but the indifference to it of descendants brings joy. Thanks to the kindness of benefactors and hardworking hands, this is possible. Now the Hesed Besht Charity Foundation is simultaneously carrying out improvements in the same way on three graves in the Khmelnytskyi region. When the work is completed, the general public will learn about it. As for the Bilogirsky monument, a rally is planned for September.
